Ex-AFL star Nick Stevens faces jail over fraud charges

Former AFL footballer Nick Stevens has been warned that he is likely to remain in prison after sentencing next month, News.Az reports, citing ABC News.

The 46-year-old is currently serving time after a jury found him guilty in March of 12 charges of dishonestly obtaining financial advantage by deception, along with one charge of using a false document.

The former Port Adelaide and Carlton player fraudulently obtained $167,798.75 from families in the Mildura region to install swimming pools at their homes in 2017.

He carried out the work without the required builder registration, permits, insurance, or licence.

As a result of his actions, six families were left with either improperly installed pools or unfinished holes in their backyards.

During a pre-sentence hearing at the County Court of Victoria on Thursday, five victim impact statements were submitted, with four read aloud in court.

The court heard that many of the victims were of modest financial means, had limited flexibility in their budgets, and felt their trust had been violated by Stevens.

One victim, Ben Knight, described how the incident led to the breakdown of his marriage.

“We started out excited with plans for a pool and ended up with a hole in our yard for years,” he told the court.

News.Az 

By Nijat Babayev